I bought a new Ruger 10/22 at a gunshow this past weekend for $219. Then I read where everyone else was buying them at Walmart for $189.
What a kick in the crotch... :(
However, the new gun is much more accurate than my old 10/22. The polymer trigger group housing is tougher and thicker than the old aluminum housing. Believe me, it would take a tank rolling over it to make it crack.
I tricked out my old 10/22 with VQ parts and a match barrel.
The new Ruger has actually has a decent trigger and the stock barrel is shooting tight little groups much better than my match barrel.
Still bugs me about spending the extra $$$ on the gun though...

Look at it this way -- maybe you got a 10/22 built on a Tuesday. If you bought one from Wally World, you might have gotten one built on a Friday.

The 10/22 you got sounds like a finely-tuned machine. Even with CNC mass production, there's nothing to say that any other 10/22 you bought would have been as well put-together. So I say -- enjoy your rifle.

Anyway, that's the rationale I use when I spend a few $$$ more for something. Sometimes, it works...

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__________________"When newspapers are controlled, it's amazing how ignorant and immune from pressure the government can be." -- Amartya Sen